


Family Fortunes

by Ultra



Series: Long Live The Hart-Kinsellas [4]
Category: Hart of Dixie
Genre: F/M, Family, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Happy, Money, One Big Happy Family, Plans For The Future, Post-Canon, christening
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:15:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24604555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ultra/pseuds/Ultra
Summary: It's time for Jack Hart-Kinsella to have a christening and for Wade to discover how nobody could ever love their grandson as much as Grandpa Earl does.
Relationships: Earl Kinsella & Wade Kinsella, Zoe Hart/Wade Kinsella
Series: Long Live The Hart-Kinsellas [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1698187
Kudos: 18





	Family Fortunes

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was originally written for LongLiveTheHart (at Fanfiction.net) based on things she has said to me in long threads of PMs, but I do hope that a few other people might get a kick out of it too. It made me very happy to write it.

It wasn’t that either Zoe or Wade was especially religious or anything, but when so many people kept on asking when they would be getting their son christened, now that they finally decided on a name, it somehow seemed wrong to say that they just weren’t going to.

“You know me, doc, not exactly a church-goer, but I gotta admit, I think my momma would like the idea of him being all welcomed into the house of the Lord and everything,” Wade had admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “Prob’ly somethin’ ol’ Harley would’ve expected too.”

“Yeah, I figured.” Zoe sighed, looking down into the crib at their sleepy son. “I guess it would be okay. I mean, yes, I am half-Jewish, but on Harley’s side, I suppose I’m also half-Christian, kind of. And I do believe in God, don’t you?”

“Sure.” Wade shrugged. “So, maybe it ain’t the worst idea in the world. Heck, he’d get a party and a bunch of gifts outta the whole thing. What’s not to like?”

“Wade!” Zoe admonished him, lightly smacking him in the chest for good measure, though she was smiling all the same. “Okay, so, I guess we’re having a christening.”

The planning started the very next day, not that Zoe or Wade had to do very much, because the town of Bluebell was more than happy to take the strain. Lemon Hayes, as they were now learning to call her, all but insisted on taking point, if nobody would mind, and Mr and Mrs Hart-Kinsella mostly gave her free rein.

“She has the experience with all this event organisin’ stuff,” Wade reminded Zoe. “And honestly, do you wanna add party arrangements into our lives right now when we’ve got junior to think about?”

It had taken Zoe all of a minute to decide that it probably really was best to let Lemon take over, just this once. She did a real good job, just as she always did, in putting together a guest list and arranging a party for after the ceremony in church. She had Zoe and Wade come over to the main house so she could run through the details with them and was absolutely in her element.

“Now, the one thing I cannot arrange for you is the godparents.” she told them plainly. “I know you two aren’t always exactly traditional, we only have to look to your wedding ceremony to see that,” she said with a sly smile, “but tradition does dictate that a baby boy should have one godmother and two godfathers. Do you have any ideas on who you might wanna give that honour to?”

Wade knew that look on Lemon’s face all too well, the one that said she wanted to tell you what to say or think, but knew she should let you make up your own mind instead. Of course, since he was pretty sure the talk he and Zoe had just the other day about godparents would meet with the former Miss Breeland’s approval, he didn’t worry on it. It did give him a chance to have a little fun though.

“Wow, just one godmother, huh?” he said, thoughtfully rubbing his chin as he turned to Zoe. “Baby, how’re we gonna find just one woman in this whole town that’d be right for the job?”

“I don’t know,” said Zoe with a huge heaving sigh, playing along just like he knew she would. “It’s so hard. I mean, there’s AB, she would be great, or Wanda, because she has experience with her own kid, or Rose, I mean, she has youth on her side.”

“’Course, I was half-raised by the older women of this town myself. Shula and Delma and Susie and all. Just so many choices.” Wade shook his head.

There was a strange squeaking noise that escaped from Lemon as she clearly had to fight hard to keep her countenance, staring down at her papers as if she was busy and not even entirely listening to the conversation going on next to her.

Eventually, Zoe started laughing. “Wade, that’s enough now. We’re torturing her and it’s not fair.”

At that point, Lemon looked up fast, though she still didn’t say anything, not until Wade finally put her out of her misery.

“Lemon, if you think for a second we would pick anybody else for our son’s godmomma, then you are just crazy as all get out,” he told her, his hand on her arm. “You were always prime candidate, and don’t you forget it.”

That brought on a huge smile as Lemon noted her own name on the list of godparents. There were also tears in her eyes, Wade thought, though he didn’t call her on it and she managed to fight them back before they escaped.

“Okay,” she said eventually, clearing her throat. “So, two godfathers?”

“Lavon, obviously,” Zoe said immediately, not willing to joke anymore, “but then, we got a little stuck.”

“Yeah, we got the other one down to two choices,” Wade admitted, “and I figure whichever one we don’t pick is gonna be pretty pissed. See, much as we had our differences over one thing and another,” he went on, looking between Zoe and Lemon, “well, me and George Tucker go a long way back. I figure, even with his new career in Nashville and all, he’ll be visitin’ plenty, and with him bein’ all upstanding and proper and such most o’ the time, he’d make a pretty good godfather, right?”

“That is true,” Zoe agreed easily, “but at the same time, well, your dad,” she said to Lemon then. “I know me and Brick didn’t see eye-to-eye in the beginning, but things are so different now. He’s... he’s the closest thing I have to a father myself these days,” she admitted, shrugging her shoulders. “The last thing I would want to do is hurt him.”

Lemon nodded in understanding but then surprised them both with what she said next; “Pick George Tucker,” she advised. “I mean, it is your decision in the end, obviously, but if you want my opinion, I say pick George. My daddy is the best of men, you know I think so, but I believe he would be more offended if you did ask him than if you didn’t.”

“Really, why?” asked Zoe, feeling a little offended herself now, though she wasn’t sure she could explain why.

“Well, like you said, he’s sort of filled in for Harley as your daddy too this past while,” Lemon agreed. “That’d make him the little one’s grandpa, same as Earl, and you wouldn’t ask him to be a godfather, right?”

Zoe and Wade shared a look and then he nodded his head. “Makes sense. Brick’s already a part of the family, more so than most. So, that makes the Golden Boy our man.”

“I guess so,” Zoe agreed, nodding her head. “Cool, we completed our only task for the christening, apart from showing up, obviously.”

She was right too, because Lemon did everything else, just as she said she would. She got a beautiful cake made, helped Zoe with obtaining a christening gown for baby Jack, organised everything just as perfectly as she always organised every event she took charge of, and left the Hart-Kinsellas with nothing to do but show up on the day. Well, almost nothing.

“I knew somethin’ had to go wrong,” said Wade, slamming his cell phone shut.

“Your dad still isn’t answering?” Zoe asked, checking her watch awkwardly as she rocked Jack in her arms. “He should’ve been here by now.”

“Don’t I know it?” Wade sighed, running a hand over his face. “I know we can’t have this thing without him, but I swear, if I find him with a bottle in his hand-”

“He wouldn’t,” said Zoe quickly. “Come on, Wade, he’s been doing so well for so long, why would he suddenly backslide now? Today of all days?”

“Because it _is_ today,” her husband told her with a look. “Because he has to stand in that church and see that row and remember,” he said pointedly, knowing from the way Zoe’s expression changed that she now understood.

Earl’s problem had always been feeling far too much, especially where his wife was concerned. In the church, he would see the row dedicated to Jacqueline Kinsella, be forced to stand and watch as his grandson was named for the wife he loved and missed so much, probably getting flashbacks to christening’s of yore, when Wade and Jesse were both welcomed into God’s house back in the day.

“I gotta go see for myself,” said Wade, shaking his head. “And I gotta go now or I’m not even gonna make it to my own kid’s christening,” he complained, grabbing for his keys and rushing for the door.

“If it comes to it, we’ll stall,” Zoe promised him. “Our son is not getting christened without his daddy,” she said definitely, “or his grandpa, if we can help it.”

Wade turned back from the door, smiling again in an instant. He rushed back to where Zoe was sat on the bed, reached down and kissed her firmly on the lips.

“I do love you, Zoe Hart-Kinsella,” he told her definitely, before planting the gentlest of kisses on Jack’s head too and making the same promise before finally leaving.

Driving over to Earl’s place, Wade couldn’t shake the awful fear of what he might find when he got there. Zoe was right, his dad had been doing so well over the past year and more, giving up the booze and sticking to his vow to never touch another drop. Even when things hadn’t exactly worked out with him and Mae, he stayed on the wagon, determined as he was to be the best grandpa he could be when Wade and Zoe’s baby came along. Now, Jack needed Grandpa Earl to hold it together, Wade needed it too, but it was tough to have faith in the circumstances.

When the house finally came into view, Wade stopped worrying about maybe finding Earl passed out drunk inside. Instead his attention was taken by the land directly in front of the shack. Far as he could tell, it seemed to be all full of holes, not just one or two that might’ve been the result of some animal digging or a person trying to plant something maybe, but a whole bunch of holes spread all over, in no real order or pattern.

“What in the heck...?” he said to himself as he pulled the car up on a piece of undisturbed ground and got out. “You may not be a drunk any more, old man,” he muttered, running a hand over his head, “but you’re still Crazy Earl.”

Moving quickly up to the front door of the house, Wade didn’t knock or even pause on the porch, just let himself right on in, yelling for Earl’s attention.

“Hey, where’s the fire?” asked his father as he appeared from the bedroom, all dressed up in his best suit, hair combed, and as far as Wade could tell, sober as a judge.

“What have you been up to, old man?” he asked Earl straight. “You know, you were supposed to meet us over at the plantation almost an hour ago to go on to this christening we’re havin’?”

“An hour?” Earl frowned, checking his watch, tapping at the face and holding it near his ear in the next moment. “Damn it. The old thing’s finally given up on me. Sorry about that, son, but I’m ready to head out now, yes, sir,” he said definitely, straightening his tie. “This all looks right, doesn’t it? Last thing I wanna do is disgrace anybody, least of all the pretty doctor or that grandson o’ mine.”

Wade shook his head, absently telling Earl he looked just fine. His eyes were now on the window and the view outside, the myriad of holes dug into the soil. If all that had made Earl late was a broken watch, then what in the hell was the mess out there for?

“Well, come on then, son,” Earl was saying as Wade’s attention was drawn back to the situation at hand. “If we’re late already, let’s get to goin’!” he insisted, already halfway out of the door.

“Hold on a second!” Wade called, following him out onto the porch. “What has been goin’ on around here?” he asked, hiking his thumb over his shoulder at the sea of holes in the ground. “Please tell me this wasn’t some wild hunt for Randy or whatever?”

“’Course not.” Earl rolled his eyes indignantly, though he looked a little sheepish right after and wouldn’t look at Wade’s when he tried to make eye contact.

“Come on now, tell me what’s goin’ on,” he encouraged his father. “I know you ain’t drunk, but this looks like pretty crazy behaviour, unless you got an explanation for it.”

“’Course I do,” said Earl, looking at him then. “And you’re right, I ain’t drunk. Not a drop has passed my lips and never will again,” he said, the same vow he repeated so many times in his life, but lately at least Wade knew he really did mean it. “I just... had some diggin’ to do,” he said, looking out over the land full of empty pockets yet. “You know, you’re spoilin’ a perfectly good surprise, don’tcha?”

Wade continued to stare at his father, more than a little baffled by this whole situation, but knowing he didn’t want to leave here until he understood what was going on. 

Eventually, Earl heaved a sigh, then made a big deal of reaching into his inside pocket to retrieve something. With his other hand, he pulled Wade’s own hand open and then slammed what appeared to be a small book into it.

“What’s this now?” he asked, turning it over to look at it, eyes going a little wide when he saw the truth. “You opened a savings account?

“I surely did,” said Earl, a little pride creeping into his voice as he straightened himself up again and explained. “Couldn’t exactly do it any sooner, with you and the pretty doctor taking so long to fix on a name, but now that you did, and today makes it all official...”

“What did you do, old man?” Wade asked, with no small amount of wonder in his voice. “Where’d you even...?”

Looking up at his father and then out at the apparent destruction of the front yard, Wade’s brain started to pull all the pieces together. There was a pile of mason jars on the porch too, all dusty and dirty, and every hole in the ground was just the right size.

“Hell, if you ain’t just as crazy as you ever were,” he said softly, with a smile on his face that wouldn’t shift. “All that cash, and now... for him? For my son?”

“For the both of ya,” said Earl, swallowing hard. “All three o’ ya, however you wanna take it. I didn’t know exactly what you’d need it for when I was puttin’ it someplace safe,” he said, gesturing out across the yard, “but then when I found out I was gonna be a grandpa... seemed only fittin’ that the boy has a good piece of startin’ capital when he’s grown,” he explained. “Now he has a name, he can have an account, and every cent I can spare for him.”

Wade just did not have words to answer that. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know what Jack meant to Earl, what he and Zoe meant to him too, but this was something else. All those times when Earl came begging money from his son, when Wade complained but gave him a few bucks anyway, it wasn’t all for drinking or to be wasted at all. He was putting it all aside, he was burying it like treasure, all because he knew one day it would belong to his boys, to Wade and Jesse perhaps at the time, but now to Jack, the next generation of the Kinsella family tree.

“Thank you,” he said eventually, through the emotion that sat thick in his throat. “Dad, I...”

“I know,” said Earl, blinking back tears of his own. “I love you too, son.”

They hugged each other then, and though he had sworn he was not the religious type, Wade could’ve sworn he felt his momma smiling down on him and Earl both as they shared that moment. Of all days she might’ve wanted to be watching, he had a feeling today would be one, for sure. The day her grandson got officially named in her honour.

“Alright then,” he said, finally letting go of Earl. “Let’s get us over to that church before the doc blows a fuse. Trust me, she can be as fierce as she is beautiful when she puts her mind to it.”

Earl chuckled at that, reminding Wade that his mother was much the same in her time, as they headed for the car and set off to the christening, the bank book tucked away in Wade’s pocket. Jack sure was going to be set up right in the world, and not just because of the money that had been saved and put safely in his name. He had a family, both blood and not, that was going to make sure he was brought up to be a good man who always knew he was loved. That, above all else, made Wade smile as he drove into town and towards the church, where Zoe waited on the steps with Jack in her arms, surrounded by those good folks that wanted nothing but good things for the Hart-Kinsella family.

“You ready to get this done?” asked Earl as he moved to get out of the car.

“Yes, sir,” Wade agreed, grinning as he slid out of the driver’s side. “Let’s do this.”


End file.
